Celebrate Independence Day at the first-ever Grant Park Orchestra 4th of July Concert at Pritzker Pavilion! Usually it is on the 3rd of July at Petrillo Band Shell in Grant Park, but this year they are having the Army Band instead on the 3rd so the orchestra is playing on the 4th at Pritzker Pavilion, 1:30 showtime. Should be a great concert.
http://www.grantparkmusicfestival.com/2009-season/independence-day-in-millenium-park

This is a very patriotic concert--all the traditional favorites and a tap dancer too! Selections include The Star Spangled Banner, Stars and Stripes Forever, 1812 Overture, Battle Hymn of the Republic, America the Beautiful, Fanfare for the Common Man, and others. We'll be sitting on the lawn for this one--what's the 4th without a traditional picnic? Meet outside Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St. (Washington St. side), at 11:30, we will depart for the Pavilion at 11:45. Bring a picnic and a blanket and/or chair to sit on. There is also a cafe near the Pavilion entrance. If you arrive after 11:45, go straight to the Pavilion lawn and look for a red blanket, but you maximize the fun if you get there on time. Call 773-818-1343 if you can't find us, are running late, or have questions. I will turn off my phone when the show starts at 1:30. Hope to see you there!

This is cross-posted with Fun Chicago Single, so please sign up with only 1 group.

WE WILL MEET IN THE THEATRE LOBBY AT 7:15P.
DEPENDING ON INTEREST WE CAN HEAD BACK TO A LOCAL BAR FOR A POST-SHOW DISCUSSION/SOCIALIZING.

Buried Child
By Sam Shepard
Directed by Steve Scott

Buried Child is the macabre and perversely humorous tale of a Midwestern American family with a dark, terrible secret. After more than a decade as Off-Broadway's most successful counter-culture playwright, Sam Shepard achieved national fame and attention with this 1979 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama.

The story is as puzzling as it is deeply insightful. At ground level, the play resembles the realism and grotesquerie of many mid-century American playwrights. But underneath, its roots in ritual and its particular approach to monumental, timeless themes of human suffering — incest, murder, and rebirth — suggest something entirely different. With each new generation comes the hope of awakening from the disintegrating American Dream.

NEW REVIEW IN TIMEOUT CHICAGO (4 out of 6 Stars)
http://chicago.timeout.com/articles/theater/74964/buried-child-at-greenhouse-theater-theater-review

FULL PRICE TICKETS: $37.00 ($35.00 + $2.00 Service Fee)
http://shatteredglobe.org/index.html

HOTTIX DISCOUNT TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE
$17.50 at Outlets
$24.75 Online through Ticketmaster ($17.50 + $4.25 Convenience Charge + $3.00 Order Processing Charge)
http://www.hottix.org/

DISCOUNT TICKETS ON GOLDSTAR FOR $22.50 ($17.50 + $5.00 Service Charge)
https://www.goldstar.com/join?p=F153176RP

GENERAL ADMISSION SEATING.
NO ASSIGNED SEATING SO WE WILL SIT TOGETHER AS A GROUP.

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR PURCHASING YOUR OWN TICKET.

The Greenhouse Theater Center
Upstairs Studio
2257 N. Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60614
http://www.greenhousetheater.org/
http://shatteredglobe.org/index.html

Parking:
Parking for Greenhouse Theater Center patrons is available at:
Children's Memorial Hospital, 2316 N. Lincoln Ave
http://tinyurl.com/d59k3d
and
Parking in the Park, 550 W. Webster Ave.
http://tinyurl.com/cl7qys
DISCOUNTED RATE ($6.00) authorized with ticket stub or validation from GTC box office.

Every Little Step is a documentary about the making of the revival of A Chorus Line, which just ended its Chicago run earlier this month. If you're a fan of a Chorus Line, Broadway musicals in general, or dance, you'll enjoy this movie. It's a movie about the auditions for a Broadway show that's about auditioning, so it's been called a meta-documentary. It's gotten rave reviews. http://www.sonyclassics.com/everylittlestep/
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-tc-mov-step-director-0513-05may15,0,2657184,print.story
The movie may only play for 1 week, so lets catch it while we can. Movie starts at 1:30. Meet at the Music Box near the concession stand after buying your ticket at 1:00, we will take seats at 1:15. This is cross-posted with Fun Chicago Single and Chicago Movie Fans, so please sign up with only 1 group. We will go out for food and/or drinks afterward if there is interest. Please call 773-818-1343 if you are running late, can't find us, or have questions. Hope to see you there!

Ellen

WE WILL MEET AT KENDALLS BAR & GRILL 2263 N. LINCOLN AVE AT 7:00p FOR A PRESHOW MEET AND GREET AND HEAD OVER TO THE THEATER ABOUT 7:30p. 10% off dinner and/or 2-for-1 beverage discount with ticket stub.

Eclipse Theatre Company Presents
BLUE SURGE
by Rebecca Gilman
Directed by ensemble member Anish Jethmalani

Rebecca Gilman's Humorous and Touching Play, from Eclipse Theatre Company:
The story of two small-town cops who try to arrest and then help a pair of prostitutes working at a local massage parlor, Blue Surge examines issues of class and social dynamics with brutal honesty and surprising humor. Gilman explores the small space between hope and hopelessness as her characters struggle to find an American Dream in which they can believe.

Tickets: $27.00 ($25.00 + $2.00 Service Fee)
http://eclipsetheatre.tix.com/Event.asp?Event=174145
$5.00 discount if you use the Promotional Code
'MEET UP' (Total $22.00)

DISCOUNT TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE ON GOLDSTAR FOR $16.50 ($12.50 + $4.00 Service Charge)
https://www.goldstar.com/join?p=F153176RP

HOTTIX DISCOUNT TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE - $12.50 at Outlet or $19.75 Online through Ticketmaster
http://www.hottix.org/

GENERAL ADMISSION SEATING.
NO ASSIGNED SEATING SO WE WILL SIT TOGETHER AS A GROUP.

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR PURCHASING YOUR OWN TICKET.

The Greenhouse Theater Center
Upstairs Studio
2257 N. Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60614
http://www.eclipsetheatre.com/
http://www.greenhousetheater.org/

Parking:

Parking for Greenhouse Theater Center patrons is available at Children's Memorial Hospital, 2316 N. Lincoln and at Parking in the Park, 550 W. Webster. DISCOUNTED RATE ($6.00) authorized with ticket stub or validation from GTC box office. (Children's Memorial discount is not valid before 5pm weekdays)

DEPENDING ON INTEREST WE CAN HEAD BACK TO KENDALS FOR A POST-SHOW DISCUSSION/SOCIALIZING.

Important information about the performance of Strange Interlude

Strange Interlude will be performed in four parts. On Saturday, there will be two 15-minute intermissions along with a one hour and 15-minute dinner break beginning at approximately 5pm. The total running time for the performance without intermissions is 4 hours and 35 minutes.

For your convenience, Goodman Theatre will have light fare and boxed meals for sale during the dinner break on Saturday evening, available in the theater lobby.

Strange Interlude by Eugene O'Neill
Produced in association with The Neo-Futurists
Directed by Greg Allen

MARCH 7, 2009 GOODMAN THEATER | OWEN THEATRE

Don't miss this unique opportunity to see this rarely produced Pulitzer Prize-winning work. Experience the Chicago-based Neo-Futurists premiere of Strange Interlude, which follows the complex story of Nina Leeds and her three lovers over the course of 25 strange and extraordinary years.

GENERAL ADMISSION SEATING.
NO ASSIGNED SEATING SO WE WILL SIT TOGETHER AS A GROUP.

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR PURCHASING YOUR OWN TICKET. BUY TICKET FOR MAIN FLOOR.

Tickets $20.00
http://www.goodmantheatre.org/ticketing/calendar/index.aspx?monthDropDown=2009:3

Part of:
A GLOBAL EXPLORATION: Eugene O'Neill in the 21st Century
Curated by Robert Falls
January – March 2009

Artistic Director Robert Falls' history with Eugene O'Neill has spanned four landmark productions: The Iceman Cometh (1990), A Touch of the Poet (1996), Long Day's Journey Into Night (2002) and Hughie (2004). For Goodman Theatre's 2009 exploration of Eugene O'Neill, Falls views the 20th century "Father of the American drama" through a 21st century international lens: a handful of the world's leading theater companies bring to Chicago their highly contemporary, inventive interpretations of O'Neill's dramas to plumb the depths of this important playwright.

More info:
http://www.goodmantheatre.org/season/oneill.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strange_Interlude

DINNER BREAK INFO
There will be a one hour and 15-minute dinner break beginning at approximately 5pm
I am planning on going to Arby's/Sbarro's/Burrito Beach across the street. But there are other places nearby if you are interested in somewhere else. (Corner Bakery, Quizzno's, Au Bon Pain, Popeye's, PotBelly's)
Let me know your suggestion on Saturday.